Gaul - Ancient History Encyclopedia Gaul by bisdent published on 28 April 2011 Gaul (Latin Gallia , French Gaule) is the name given by the Romans to the territories where the Celtic Gauls (Latin Galli, French Gaulois) lived, including present France, Belgium, Luxemburg and parts of the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany on the west bank of the Rhine, and the Po Valley, in present Italy . The ancient limits of Gaul were the Rhine River and the Alps on the east, the Mare Nostrum (Mediterranean Sea), the Po Valley and the Pyrenees on the south, and the Atlantic Ocean on the west and North. Before the Roman conquest by Julius Caesar (58-51 BC), the name “Gaul” corresponded to a cultural and military area founded on a common religion and federations of peoples who though that they had a common origin. This common origin probably dates back to 8th century, when migrants groups of the Bronze Age Urnfield culture spread slowly across the area of the future territory of Gaul. About 390 BC, the Gauls invaded and sacked Rome .

In 222 BC, Cisalpine Gaul (the region between the Alps and the Po Valley) was conquered by the Romans. The best description we know about the pre-Roman Gaul is in the first chapter of the Commentarii de Bello Gallico, of Caius Julius Caesar . It is clearly a Roman point of view of the Gallic realities: All Gaul is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, the Aquitani another, those who in their own language are called Celts , in ours Gauls, the third. All these differ from each other in language, customs and laws. The river Garonne separates the Gauls from the Aquitani; the Marne and the Seine separate them from the Belgae.

Of all these, the Belgae are the bravest, because they are farthest from the civilisation and refinement of [our] Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind; and they are the nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war ; for which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valour, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war on their frontiers. One part of these, which it has been said that the Gauls occupy, takes its beginning at the river Rhone: it is bounded by the river Garonne, the ocean, and the territories of the Belgae: it borders, too, on the side of the Sequani and the Helvetii, upon the river Rhine, and stretches towards the north. The Belgae rise from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine; and look towards the north and the rising sun.

Aquitania extends from the river Garonne to the Pyrenaean mountains and to that part of the ocean which is near Spain: it looks between the setting of the sun and the north star. After Julius Caesar had conquered Gaul, the territorial organization of Gaul as part of the Roman Empire was concluded by Emperor Augustus from 27 to 12 BC: Respecting the ancient organization described by Julius Caesar, Augustus created three Roman Provinces: Gallia Belgica, Gallia Lugdunensis and Aquitania. In the south, the old Roman Provincia, to which Massilia was added, was renamed Gallia Narbonensis. The territories bordering the Rhine River were combined into two military areas, which under Domitian became the provinces of Upper and Lower Germania. For about 200 years the Roman peace ( Pax romana ) was maintained, with the exception of some local revolts and civil troubles. The Germanic incursions of the 3rd century AD marked the end of this epoch. Help us write more We're a small non-profit organisation run by a handful of volunteers. Each article costs us about $50 in history books as source material, plus editing and server costs.

You can help us create even more free articles for as little as $5 per month , and we'll give you an ad-free experience to thank you! Become a Member Importance of the mediterranean region by Stephanie Ellul - issuu issuu Issuu on Google+ The Importance of the Mediterranean Region throughout the ages Comenius Project - Mare Nostrum Malta Table of Contents Geographical Importance .................................................................. 2 Mediterranean History ...................................................................... 2 Mare Nostrum ................................................................................... 3 The Importance of the Mediterranean Region ..................................... 4 Religion and other influences ............................................................ 5 Modern Ages - Blue Growth within the Mediterranean Sea ................. 6 1|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Geographical Importance The Mediterranean some five million years ago was once a deep, dry valley, dividing the of The word Mediterranean in Latin means 'in the middle of earth'. The Mediterranean Sea was an important route for merchants and travellers of ancient times. This allowed for trade and cultural exchange between The Mediterranean Sea covers approximately2.5 million km2. Mediterranean History The Mediterranean Sea also became an important strategic location for many European nations and as a result the United Kingdom and France began building colonies and naval bases along its shores.

The transportation of products like crude oil across the Mediterranean Sea increases its strategic importance. 2|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Further, traffic in the Mediterranean Sea is one of the busiest in the world, especially across the strategically located Straits of Gibraltar. The Mediterranean region began to lose its importance and other parts of Europe and North America gained influence. Some of the most ancient civilizations flourished around the Mediterranean. It was opened as a highway for commerce by merchants trading from Phoenicia. Carthage, Greece, Sicily, and Rome were rivals for dominance of its shores and trade; under the Roman Empire it became virtually a Roman lake and was called Mare Nostrum. Mare Nostrum Mare These civilizations left a mark in history and brought unification and technological changes which we still use nowadays. The Mediterranean borders three continents i.e. Asia, Africa and Europe â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a total of twenty countries. This led to significant cultural diversity, thus making the Mediterranean a region of multiculturalism. These empires have influenced cultures, architecture, literature and wisdom. The Egyptians navigated the Mediterranean Sea to the East and were amongst the first to appreciate the importance of the shipbuilding.

They were in fact the pioneers in shipbuilding, which was the key to the development of other trading industries. 4|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum The Mediterranean region was known for the shipbuilding industry, including Malta. Countries bordering the Mediterranean are known especially as maritime states. For instance, Malta is the largest shipping Register in Europe and the seventh largest in the world. Greece and Crete traded olive oil. The Phoenicians continued to develop the maritime industry; an industry for which the Phoenicians are probably Columbus and Amerigo Vespucci amongst others. 5|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Modern Ages - Blue Growth within the Mediterranean Sea Statistics indicate that 40% of all the European trade is generated at the Coast. This leads to economic growth and jobs but the multiplier effect is significant. The Mediterranean Sea is now the medium which links island States to mainland Europe. All this, however, has its challenges which necessitate political interventions and cooperation amongst Member States with Mediterranean coastlines.

The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973/78 (MARPOL) is the International Maritime Organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main convention which regulates the prevention of pollution of the marine environment operational Under by or pollution by oil, and Annex V Prevention of pollution by garbage from ships, the MARPOL Convention, the Mediterranean Sea is declared a special area. A special area is defined to be an area in which, for technical reasons relating to their ocean graphical and ecological condition and to their sea traffic, the adoption of special mandatory methods for the prevention of sea pollution is required. This means that the level of legal protection afforded to special areas, 6|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum including the Mediterranean Sea is much more stringent than any other area in the world. While the International Maritime Organization has worked to establish special areas, the World Wide Fund for Nature is also working hard to promote Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea. The international non-governmental organization highlights how modern developments around the Mediterranean basin have serious negative effects on the region. Pollution and sea traffic are amongst the identified factors, given that one third of the global seaborne trade passes through the Mediterranean Sea.

The European Commission has also acknowledged and voiced its concern on the for Fisheriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Integrated Maritime Policy, which covers five main areas. One of the areas is Blue Growth. 7|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum The European Commission describes Blue Growth as “[a] long term strategy to support sustainable growth in the marine and maritime sectors as a whole.” The Blue Growth strategy is very important because it considers the seas and oceans around Europe as important economic motors. If well managed and implemented, these resources have a significant potential for economic growth. The Blue Growth strategy will not only impact businesses around the coast but also those located elsewhere, including government service providers. The main goal is the creation of jobs and economic wealth. The Blue Growth Strategy addresses five specific activities which apply to the seven sea basins.

These are:  Ocean renewable energy – the development of offshore wind power generation, wave and tidal power;  Aquaculture – expanding fish farming in order to increase the market and the industry by moving offshore and focus on high – quality supplies;  Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism – expand the industry to achieve diversified tourism throughout the year, including the development of cruise and leisure shipping;  Marine mineral resources – using specialised vessels to exploit the seabed and extract dissolved minerals such as lithium and boron, whilst protecting the deep-sea ecosystems; and  Blue biotechnology – the exploitation of non-seafood marine species for the pharmaceuticals and other chemical industries. 8|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Ocean Renewable Energy 9|Page Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism Marine mineral resources 10 | P a g e Comenius Project-Mare Nostrum Blue biotechnology A Brief History of the Mediterranean Sea - The Romans - a brief history Page 7 - The Romans Tradition has it that Rome was founded in 753 BC by Romulus and Remus, two foundlings who had been reared by a she-wolf.

The Italic peninsular at the time, was populated in the north by the wild Celtic tribes and in the middle by the Etruscans, a people with a fairly well-developed culture. Another tale would have it founded by Enea, the son of godess Venus, having fled from Troy in flames and after a brief love affair with a local queen in Carthage. The inhabitants of Rome were a very determined lot, very much tied to their land and city, which they wanted strong and powerful. They werent so much for art or culture, as were the Athenians but one thing was important for them: The Law. Slowly and tenaciously, the Romans extended their authority from city to city along the Italian peninsular, forming a strong federation, with an ever powerful army to keep law and order. The Romans had a very different approach to sport from the Greeks: rather than personally competing in races and launching the javelin, they preferred to leave sport to the slaves, to fight one another as gladiators and against savage beasts in arenas such as the Coliseum. By this time, the Greeks had lost control of their colonies in southern Italy to the Phoenicians, who had gained control of most of the Mediterranean.

But now Rome was growing to be a force to be contended with and soon a great rivalry developed between Rome and Carthage. The Romans, not at all a maritime nation, copied the Phoenician ships and built many to contrast the enemy's navy. This they soon did and first conquered Sicily in 241 BC and then Carthage itself in 146 BC, becoming the new dominators of the Mediterranean Sea, the "Mare Nostrum", which became "our sea" from then on. The Roman Empire at its height under Trajan in 116 AD The Roman Empire controlled all the shores of the Mediterranean, stretched north to England and up to the Rhine river in Germany and east to Hungary, including Rumania, Turkey and all the Near East. The present Turkish Aegean coast was an important Roman province where you can encounter well-preserved Roman ruins constructed over those of the dominated Greek settlements: Pergamon, Efesus, Miletus, Priene, Iassus, Didyma, Teos etc.

The splendour of the Roman Empire lasted several centuries, until around 400 AD, when hoards of invaders descended from the north, the Goths and the Vandals and the Huns from Asia, lead by Attic, wreaking terror and devastation. The Empire was finished, with the destitution of the last emperor in 476 AD, when a new Age commenced: the Middle Ages. Mare Nostrum (1926) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The story of a female German spy who willingly sacrifices her life for her country.

Director: a list of 9996 titles created 26 Jun 2012 a list of 68 titles created 27 Jul 2013 a list of 150 titles created 28 Jan 2014 a list of 54 titles created 11 months ago a list of 1689 titles created 1 month ago Search for " Mare Nostrum " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. An extended family split up in France and Germany find themselves on opposing sides of the battlefield during World War I. Director: Rex Ingram In Argentina, the family man Julio Madariaga is the patriarch of his family and considers his farm the paradise on Earth. One of his daughters, Luisa Desnoyers, has married the Frenchman ... See full summary » Director: Vincente Minnelli A magician/alchemist, seeking to create life, finds that he needs the "blood of a virgin" to continue his experiments. He sends out his dwarf assistant to pick out the right girl.

Director: Rex Ingram After losing his father, a playboy moves in with his miserly uncle, who seeks to cheat him out of his inheritance. Director: Rex Ingram An architect tries suppressing his passion for a seductive woman. Directors: Fred Niblo, Mauritz Stiller Stars: Greta Garbo, Antonio Moreno, Marc McDermott A sexy young manicurist living with her older backwoodsman husband in a small Canadian town finds herself attracted to a young, rich and famous divorce lawyer who comes to town on vacation. Director: Victor Fleming Michael "Beau" Geste leaves England in disgrace and joins the infamous French Foreign Legion. He is reunited with his two brothers in North Africa, where they face greater danger from their... See full summary » Director: Herbert Brenon Edit Storyline German spies, using Freya Talberg as bait, convince neutral Spaniard Ulysses Ferragut to navigate a ship to refuel German U-boats, telling him they would never fire on passenger ships. But one torpedoes the ship his son, Esteban, was on, killing him and many others. He sets out to punish the ones responsible.

Written by Arthur Hausner <genart@volcano.net> 29 August 1926 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Did You Know? Trivia Following political pressure from the UK, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer withdrew this film from British territories following it's initial theatrical run. See more » Connections Featured in Hollywood (1980) See more » Frequently Asked Questions (Chicago, IL) – See all my reviews About ten minutes into this plush production comes a jaw-dropping scene of visual fantasy--a vision of the maritime goddess Amphitrite--which is matched by a similarly striking underwater sequence at the end. Unfortunately, between these bookends sits a Victorian melodrama of adultery/guilt/expiation, which is then shoe-horned into a WWI spy plot: betrayal of spouse reflected in betrayal of country. Despite its mythological and religious trappings, this is deeply conventional story-telling: while an artist examines the ambiguities of behavior, director Rex Ingram is satisfied with this formula plot, leaving his actors no credible characters to develop and only pot-boiler dialogue to mouth ["You are the only man I ever loved!"].

So, although Antonio Moreno looks fit in his sailing captain's uniform, he mostly frowns in pain or puzzlement, while the excellent Alice Terry must enact everything from villainy to martyrdom with little help. The other players are earnest, some used for heavy-handed stabs at humor; however, this film's disregard for people becomes clear as--late into the film--new, throw-away characters keep appearing to deliver more exposition. The action sequences--impressively shot on locations in Barcelona, Marseilles and Naples--include a mob chasing a German spy around a harbor, plus several submarine attacks and shipwrecks [done with entertainingly elaborate though unconvincing miniatures]. Yet even the visuals seem conventional and static, like academic paintings, especially when compared to the cinematic dynamism of Sternberg or Walsh. The title refers to the Mediterranean Sea, but is also the name of the hero's ship, and acquires still a third meaning at the end. 8 of 11 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Ciguri - Mare Nostrum | KALTBLUT Magazine December 5, 2013 Ciguri – Mare Nostrum Electro artist Ciguri has released her new album “Mare Nostrum” and KALTBLUT’S got the exclusive stream for you right here! From the composition on her piano to the sewing machine on which she creates her costumes, through the production of the videos that accompanies her live performances, Alice combines her many talents to give life to her warrior Cigùri. Living in Berlin where she has her studio since many years, Alice originates from the shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The debut album “Mare Nostrum” takes its name from the ancient name the Romans gave to the Sea. To produce this album, Cigùri has surrounded herself with an army of musicians, whose brass and chords sublime her dark electronic compositions. It took a little bit more than two years to finish the 12 titles opus. This album, symbol for the many lives of Cigùri, is an epic poem to the struggle of life and death. Mare Nostrum has the intimacy of Cat Power, the charisma of Kate Bush and the determination of The Knife.

This artistic project grows out of the story of Cigùri, a deceased warrior from a secret tribe. The various media used unite to bring this martial tale back to life, and each song bears the witness of one of Cigùri’s past experiences, each one of her future lives. This dark and melancholic pop with a glimpse of hope, pours out great energy with choirs, electronic and symphonic orchestrations, and, at times, settles back into the fragility and minimalism of a simple voice and piano. The digital version will be available from the 5th of December 2013. The album and the limited edition will be available end of January 2014. The album comes in a Digipack edition with an 8-page booklet. The Collector Pack is a limited edition of a hundred copies including: – The album in Digipack edition – A strap of Cigùri’s Mare Nostrum costume, sealed and numbered – 4 official pictures Mare Nostrum (21x21cm) – An autograph of the artist – A serigraphied clutch for the pack, sewed and conceived by the artist herself. All photos by Ludovic Alussi.

INTERVIEW CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM KALTBLUT: What was the impulse to write about the sea? Are you missing Marseille? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Translated from the Latin phrase, « Mare Nostrum » means « Our Sea », the Romans used to call the Mediterranean Sea like this. This album is a tribute to it. In fact, I moved to Berlin a bit more than 4 years ago, and as much as this city is amazing and filled with great people, the Mediterranean Sea always takes me back to the South of France where I grew up. It is when I am underwater, in the deep dark blue, that I feel the most complete. Cigùri definitively takes her roots from there. KALTBLUT: How did you collaborate with musicians on this album it was a quite long process? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: I started working on this album 2 years ago and I needed to produce everything on my own as I had a very precise idea of how I wanted my music to sound like. In the last 6 months, I’ve asked a talented and skilled friend Mathieu Pé to join and help me.

He is a trumpet and brass player, but also one of the leaders of the Dub acoustic band ‘Braintheft’. Together we recorded all the brass, cello and double bass, and then proceeded to the end of the production and mixing of the album. Then I gave all we had produced to Alexandre Hasson, my sound engineer… he’s a magician. He mixed all my voices and did the mastering. He’s always the one who closes the door at the end of my projects as I am way too perfectionist! KALTBLUT: What is on your iPod/radio/cloud? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: The last albums I’ve been listening to repeatedly are: the forthcoming album of aMinus called ‘Option’, ‘Pain and Beauty’ from Chelsea Wolfe, ‘From now I am winter’ from Ólafur Arnalds, and also to the original soundtrack of a Bollywood movie I saw a week ago called ‘Ram Leela’. KALTBLUT: What is appealing to you in Berlin?

CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: The greyness, the snow, the art and music scene, the chance to make my solo project, my nest, my new music studio, loneliness and of course my chosen family of great friends, which I feel very lucky to have. KALTBLUT: I open the gate of time and offer you to write a song with a dead artist who do you pick? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Without hesitation (even if he’s not dead yet, but I’m pretty sure we won’t have time to meet…and if not, then I’d be glad to offer you all Champagne): Arvo Pärt, the Estonian compositor. KALTBLUT: Is Cigùri, the character you embody each time you wear her costumes, more like a sister or a ghost not leaving you? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Cigùri is the ghost who carries all my sorrows and secrets. Through her, I can express and live my darker sides. I guess that’s why composing or giving live shows is always very intense for me, as I’m healing myself from my pains – like many other musicians I guess.

KALTBLUT: As a former costume designer you create a very impressive and delicate fashion design piece of art. Thinking of autopoiesis, and of course the costumes of Cigùri, is it a bit like dragging? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Life is always about dying and being reborn. And Cigùri can live a lot of different lives. She can be anyone whenever she wants it, she just needs to wear a new costume, write a new song, and there: a new story begins. I’ve always needed to think about a vision of someone new in order to draw a new costume or design a new collection of clothes. I just can’t express myself without a whole visual universe surrounding me. Autopoiesis was a collaboration with Ludovic Alussi (The photograph that I’m working with since the very beginning, he designed the Mare Nostrum picture series) and EGGON (Metal sculptor), the project constitutes one of the interpretation of Cigùri’s many lives ( KALTBLUT: Do you like the work of Leigh Bowery who could not leave home without wearing a new costume creation?

CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Leigh Bowery did a very impressive work indeed. But even if I’m almost always wearing feathers or a necklace made out of one of Cigùri’s costumes, it always remains very discrete. I like to be Alice in daily life, while Cigùri rests in my dreams. KALTBLUT: Cigùri is a widow and a fighter, what is she fighting for? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: Cigùri is a dead warrior coming from a secret tribe. She’s fighting for her life, many lives: a full time job. She never rests. KALTBLUT: What is going to happen in the next life of Cigùri? CIGÙRI MARE NOSTRUM: As I said, I believe life is always about being reborn, and one never knows what one will become, neither does Cigùri. Interview by Interview by Marianne Jacquet wrangelkiez.org and Contact: Review of Mare Nostrum - RPGnet RPG Game Index Review of Mare Nostrum Mare Nostrum is a Civilization-style game of warfare and trading by Serge Laget.

Players: 3-5 The Components Mare Nostrum comes in a box full of good-quality components. These include: Board: A large 4-panel map of the Mediterranean, broken up into various land and sea spaces. The map is detailed in subdued colors of gray and brown, but is nonetheless attractive. Cities and resources marked on the board are all easy to make out. Wooden Bits: Each player gets a set of 33 wooden game bits including 12 influence disks, 8 octagonal fortresses, 5 Triremes, and 8 Legions. The military figures are both quite cute, though the octagonal fortresses leave a little to be desired. Cardboard Bits: The board will also be filled out with a number of cardboard bits, each a circular token. There are 28 caravans and 12 markets, plus 12 cities and 6 temples. The caravans are markets are both predominantly blue, while the cities and temples are both predominantly red. This has its pluses and minuses. On the downside itï¿½s easy to mistake one marker for the other of the same color, because theyï¿½re pretty similar.

On the other hand its easy to make out who has the most red markers and who has the most blue, which is ultimately notable for controlling certain roles during the game. Cards: There are a total of 144 cards, all printed on slightly flimsy cardstock, all featuring high-quality and attractive illustrations. 123 of the cards are resources which are earned and traded throughout the game. The remaining cards are: 3 player roles, 11 heroes, and 7 wonders of the world. These latter cards all feature special powers which are well described on the cards so that the rules rarely need to be referenced. Player Aid Cards: Each player gets a unique player aid card which shows his precise setup on the front side and has a lot of information on the game on the back. These are very helpful. The game itself plays pretty simply once you get the hang of it, but having a listing of heroes and wonders right in front of you during the game is nice. As with everything else in the game, the graphic design on these cards is attractive. Dice: 8 wooden dice. Rules: An 8-page rule which includes examples and Q&A. Overall Mare Nostrum is quite attractive.

As is the case with most French games it features excellent quality illustration and graphic design. The components are all good (though I wish the cards were a tiny bit sturdier) and generally everything makes it easy to play the game. Thus Mare Nostrum earns a ï¿½5ï¿½ out of ï¿½5ï¿½ for Style. The Gameplay The object of Mare Nostrum is to build Wonders of the World and heroes sufficient to make yourself the most notable civilization in the world. Setup: Each player chooses a starting country from Babylon, Carthage, Greece, Egypt, and Rome. Each player then places appropriate wooden bits (influence and fortresses) and cardboard bits (caravans and cities) within his territory, as shown on his player aid. Each player also gets a starting hero card, which gives his civilization a unique power, such as allowing the Romans to build armies faster or the Babylonians to extend their influence for free. An alternative setup method allows each player to setup his territory via point-based purchases, but is probably more complexity than is required for this game.

Three players are selected for the initial roles of Director of Commerce, Political Leader, and Military Leaderï¿½which as weï¿½ll see are the players who control the three main phases of the game. Order of Play: During a turn the following four phases occur: Allocate Roles Construction Military Allocate Roles: After the first turn, the three special player roles can move around each turn. They are assigned as follows: Director of Commerce to the player with the most caravans and markets (blue cardboard bits) in their provinces. Political Leader to the player with the most cities and temples (red cardboard bits) in their provinces. Military Leader to the player with the most legions, trireme, and fortresses (wooden bits). Commerce: The commerce phase starts with each player collecting his revenues. This is based on the caravan, market, city, and temple markers in territories where he has influence markers (as well as those places heï¿½s ï¿½occupyingï¿½, which weï¿½ll encounter in the military phase).

A caravan generates one of the appropriate resource, of which there are twelve different types (livestock, grain, fruit, gems, slaves, olive oil, metal, good, papyrus, perfume, fish, wine)--or two if there is a market in the space. A city generates one tax resource--or two if there is a temple in the space. Afterward the players trade. This is initiated by the Director of Commerce who determines how many cards all players will trade. The players then all place that number of resource cards face-down in front of them, with everyone simultaneously revealing what theyï¿½re trading. The Director of Commerce then takes a card from another player, who then takes cards from another player ï¿½ continuing until only one player has cards left. (At this point the Director of Commerce may have to give one card back to that player to even things out.) The players all having exchanged cards, the Commerce phase now ends. Construction: Each player now takes a construction phase in an order chosen by the Political Leader. On his turn a player may build things in provinces in which he had influence at the start of the phase.

All construction is paid for with resource cards, either a set of identical tax cards or a set of all-different non-tax resource cards. The things that can be purchased are: Influence Marker. 3 cards. These are either purchased in an empty province adjacent to your own or else you can replace an opponentï¿½s influence marker if youï¿½ve ï¿½convertedï¿½ a province. City, Caravan. 3 cards. These are built on city or caravan spaces where a city or caravan has not yet been built. The number of markers available to do so are very limited, and will be the prime cause of warfare beginning. Legion, Trireme, Fortress. 3 cards. These wood bits are, of course, your army. Triremes are built on waterfront property and must be moved out to the sea during the Military phase. You can only have one Fortress per province. Temple, Market. 6 cards. Only one of each can be built in a province. Wonder, Hero. 9 cards. These are ultimately measures of victory, but they also each give nice powers which will help you out during the rest of the game.

Once youï¿½ve built 4 total (including your starting hero), you win the game. The Pyramids. 12 cards. The first player to build these automatically wins. At the end of your Construction phase you must discard all your resources except up to two tax cards. There are two things to note here: First, because youï¿½re always discarding resources, you really have to work to build the higher value things. Getting 9-12 tax cards is quite tough since that requires quite a few cities and/or temples. Likewise getting 9-12 different resources is quite a bit of work since theyï¿½re strategically arranged about the map. If you manage the trade phase particularly well, you may be able to accomplish these goals earlier. Second, the game ends immediately when someone wins and that can make the Political Leaderï¿½s ordering extremely important at the end of the game. Likewise, there are severe limits on both cities and caravans, so itï¿½s good to be in the Political Leaderï¿½s graces when the turn comes to build the last of those (or to scoop up new ones if sackings occur).

Military: Finally the players engage in the Military phase in an order chosen by the Military leader. Movement is simple: Legions and Triremes can each move one space. In addition Legions can freely move across chains of Triremes (which effectively make spaces they touch adjacent for all your purposes. You move Triremes first, then optionally conduct any sea battles. You move Legions next, then must fight battles in any land spaces where you and an opponent are both located. (Notably Triremes always stay in the sea after theyï¿½re initially moved out and Legions always stay on land, so the twain shall never meet in battle.) Battle is simple too: you roll one 6-sided die per Legion/Trireme unit in a space, total the results together, then add +6 if you have a Fortress. You and your opponent each roll simultaneously then you each simultaneously remove losses: 1 figure for each 5 points of damage that your opponent did. If you both survive the province remains ï¿½at warï¿½, which means that nothing can be built there until the state no longer exists. However, if the invader manages to wipe out the defender, then he can do nasty things.

He has three choices: He can sack the province, destroying a city, caravan, temple, or market. He can occupy the province which allows him to temporarily take control of one city, caravan, temple, or market per Legion token he has there; heï¿½ll then get those resources next turn. He can convert the province, which means that his opponent will still get the provinceï¿½s resources next turn, but after that the invader can replace their influence marker with his own (for the normal 3 card cost of building an influence marker). Winning the Game: The game ends as soon as someone builds their fourth hero/wonder or as soon as they build the Pyramids. Relationships to Other Games Mare Nostrum fits into a broad class of game that I call Civ Light . These are mixed resource/war games that play like shorter, simpler versions of the classic Avalon Hill board game Civilization. Generally a good Civ Light game should have four types of gameplay: civilization advance (a/k/a technology), resource management, trade, and warfare. When I assessed several Civ Light games last year I found Mare Nostrum to be the best of the group.

Itï¿½s got a great trade system, real resource management, and definite warfare. The only thing lacking is technology, which you have a tiny bit thanks to the wonders and heroes, but thereï¿½s not really much advancement and definitely nothing complex like a tech tree. Nonetheless, Mare Nostrum hits the Civ Light category better than anything else available. Game Design Generally the game design of Mare Nostrum is generally elegant and well-done. Almost all of the systems are really clean and well thought out (though explaining the various things you can do after winning a battle can be a bit tricky for some reason). Thereï¿½s also some great human interaction in the game, starting with the trading but also in the ways that you can interact with the various leaders and directors. Thereï¿½s a lot of opportunity for deal-making, all offered up in a really casual way thatï¿½s not bound by rules. The way in which troops are created, moved, and battle is all quite minimalist, and stronger for that. You have limited forces on the board each time, but theyï¿½re meaningful. Movement is brief, but through boats can be expansive. The battles occur very quickly.

This is all to the gameï¿½s benefit because itï¿½s much of what helps it play (relatively) quickly. One of the few other minimalist designs that Iï¿½ve played like this is Fantasy Flightï¿½s A Game of Thrones. Finally the game has multiple paths to victory. A lot of this is encoded by what civilization youï¿½re playing--the Romans have a better military presence, the Egyptians are more likely to win based on cities, etcï¿½but nonetheless it allows for very different play styles. My only complaint about Mare Nostrum is that the ending can be abrupt. Itï¿½s a little hard to measure how close a player is getting to the goal of 12 taxes or 12 different resources, and thus the game can suddenly be over when you thought you were just revving up for a new war. This is less of a problem when the players are more experienced. Overall, Mare Nostrum is an excellent game if youï¿½re looking for a short wargame with some good depth. It earns a full ï¿½5ï¿½ out of ï¿½5ï¿½ for Substance.

Conclusion Mare Nostrum is the top Civ Light game around, combining resource management and warefare into a coherent whole that can be played in just 2-3 hours. PDF Store: Buy This Item from DriveThruRPG Please help support RPGnet by purchasing the following (probably) related items through DriveThruRPG .

Question: What do we call what was known to the Romans as Mare Nostrum?
Answer: Mediterranean Sea